Zimmerman, Desmond arrive in camp with important springs looming

VIERA, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond strolled into the clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium this morning, a day before position players are required to show up.

After some high fives and hugs with teammates and coaches, Zimmerman settled into his far corner locker.

It was no surprise when the Nationals opted not to bring free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche back. Zimmerman has battled injuries the past few years and the best option was to move him across the diamond to first base - especially with five years remaining on a $100 million extension he signed in 2012.

So this is an important spring for the 30-year-old Zimmerman as he continues to learn a new position in his 11th season in the majors. He has only played 18 total innings at first base in his career, but that doesn't appear to bother Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo much.

"I think Zim is going to be a great defensive first baseman," said Rizzo . "He's got great feet and great hands and the athleticism to play different positions in the infield. I saw him as a shortstop who moved to third and now a third baseman that moved to first. I see him taking to first base very smoothly and being a really good first baseman over there."

Zimmerman got to work quickly, joining manager Matt Williams, coaches Rick Schu and Mark Weidemaier, and assistant athletic trainer Steve Gober at first base, where he worked on postioning and footwork.

Zimmerman, who has battled throwing issues at third base, knows the value of having a defensively skilled receiver across the diamond.

"I know how nice it is to have a good first baseman," Zimmerman said at FanFest in December. "I've been lucky to play with a couple really good first basemen. Being on the other side of the field, it's comforting to know that you have a guy over there where, if you get it close, he's going to help you out a lot. And that's what I'm going to work to be because I know how nice that makes you feel when you're an infielder. But that's going to take a lot of work."

Will Zimmerman's body hold up throughout a 2015 campaign that's expected to last beyond the 162-game regular season schedule? He missed 101 of those games last season with a torn right hamstring, a fractured thumb and shoulder issues. Zimmerman is no stranger to the disabled list, having spent numerous stints there throughout his career with hamstring and shoulder complications, as well as abdominal problems.

"Hey, Desi," said Rizzo, greeting Desmond in the kitchen area of the clubhouse this morning. Desmond's arrival at Space Coast Stadium also signifies a start to an important season for the 29-year-old shortstop entering the final year of his contract.

A couple of developments this offseason create doubts on Desmond's future in Washington. In December, the Nationals traded for San Diego's Trea Turner, who will be the player to be named in a three-team deal that also involved the Rays. Turner, a highly ranked prospect at shortstop, was selected by the Padres with the 13th overall pick in June's First-Year Player Draft. Last month, general manager Mike Rizzo acquired infielder Yunel Escobar from Oakland. The plan is for Escobar to play second base in 2015, but shortstop is the position he's played for most of his eight seasons in the majors.

Rizzo has tried to blunt the speculation around the future of Desmond, a free agent next offseason.

"Our approach with Ian Desmond has not changed one bit since the end of last season," Rizzo said. "Ian Desmond is our shortstop. He is the leader of our team. He is one of the best shortstops in all of baseball, and he is going to be the shortstop of the Washington Nationals. With that said, if a deal comes up that we can't refuse, we will always look to improve ourselves for 2015 and beyond. But it's hard to replace one of the best shortstops in all of baseball. The deal would have to be pretty elaborate not to have Ian Desmond on this team."

Last offseason, Desmond reportedly turned down a seven-year, $107 million offer from the Nationals, opting for a two-year, $17.5 million extension before spring training. Desmond joins Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmermann and Denard Span as star Nats players hitting free agency after the 2015 season. Standing in the Nats dugout on Saturday, Rizzo addressed whether he was concerned this could be a distraction for his pending free agents.

"No, none whatsoever," he said. "These guys are professional players. They're All-Star-caliber players. They're professionals. And they're going to attack their jobs like they always do. The guys will have a smile on their face and a hop in their step. I think they're ready to take on what's in front of us for '15."

Rizzo refused to discuss any current negotiations going on, but added he is not opposed to getting deals done during spring training or during the season.

"It doesn't matter to me," he added. "Certain players don't feel right doing it during the season and want to get it over before spring training ends, or they don't want to talk about it. I think it's a case-by-case basis."

Desmond will be in a Nats uniform for his seventh major league season in 2015. No player has been with the Nationals organization longer than Desmond, who was selected by the Expos in the third round of the 2004 draft.

He batted .255 last season, down 25 points from 2013, and had a career-high 183 strikeouts, fourth-most in the majors. However, he still led all major league shortstops with 24 home runs and his 91 RBIs were a career high. Desmond also swiped 24 bases in 2014, making him just the third shortstop in the game's history with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in three consecutive seasons. His offensive production earned him his third consecutive Silver Slugger, most ever for a Nationals player. He's clubbed 69 home runs over that period and is a good bet to add a fourth straight trophy this season. Defensively, Desmond did have 24 errors last season, the second-most in his career.

He has also proven to be very durable over his career missing only 12 games over the past two years and has playing in over 150 games in four of the past five seasons.